


Let's Be Still

by thestarmaker



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bonding, F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Pre-Shallura, Shiro (Voltron) Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Skinny Dipping, allura also has it but it's not as obvious, also i subscribe to a universe where the castleship's pool makes sense, if you want! it can be totally platonic forever if you want to see it that way, non-sexual nudity, they're both insomniacs and you can't convince me otherwise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:21:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27223423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thestarmaker/pseuds/thestarmaker
Summary: Allura can't sleep, so she's trying to burn off some restless energy by walking around the Castleship. She decides to take a dip in the pool even though she didn't bring anything to swim in. It's not like anyone else is awake at these hours, right?
Relationships: Allura & Shiro (Voltron), Allura/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 18





	Let's Be Still

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sure exactly when this takes place but it's probably season 1? It's early on.

2:35 am. The Castleship was silent aside from the constant, low hum of electricity. And Allura’s footsteps as she crossed through the maze of hallways.

It was yet another sleepless night, but the kind that leads to tossing and turning and feeling the need to crawl out of your own skin. Allura had long accepted that she had developed insomnia. Nights of this caliber, however, were few and far between – and _entirely unpleasant_. 

She stepped softly and aimlessly through the bright hallways. She had slipped on warm socks instead of shoes to protect her feet from the cold floors, but even through the soft fabric she could feel the chill. Allura shivered. She was never great with the cold.

She hugged her arms around herself as she moved. Her nightgown was mostly designed simply for coverage, not warmth, but she had to admit that the chill at least kept her from getting too lost in her own head.

She hadn’t planned to visit, as she hadn’t thought to grab a towel or bathing suit, and yet she found herself at the Natatorium. Through the crack in the double doors she could feel the warm, humid air seeping out. Allura smiled as it grazed her hand, and then her face as she peered through and into the empty room.

The lights were off, but that was expected. They were motion-sensing, and of course no one but Allura was up at these hours, let alone looking to swim. She smiled to herself, pulled on the doors, and they parted with a soft creak. She felt like a trespassing child, even though she knew she had no reason to. It was exciting. The rush of humid air on her face matched the rush of adrenaline in her veins as she opened the doors.

As she took her first step onto the smooth floor, the lights flashed on. She shielded her eyes for a moment as they adjusted, and once she was able to see again, her smile grew. 

The pool was pristine, a crystalline lagoon flowing from white stone that seemed to grow out of the gray it was set into. The temperature could be adjusted easily, which she appreciated, as she walked over to the thermostat and turned it up a few degrees. She wasn’t going to actually go swimming – it was either swim in her nightgown or nothing at all, and neither option sounded ideal at the moment – but she at least wanted to sit on the edge and soak her feet.

Sure enough, she got the temperature perfect on the first try. Breathing a sigh of relief as she slipped her feet out of her socks and into the water, she laid back on the ledge bordering the pool and stretched her back with a satisfying crack. 

A few moments passed of her idly swirling her legs, feeling heat reabsorb into her toes, before she realized she did want to take a dip after all.  
And that meant taking off her nightgown.

She stood back up, being careful not to slip, and walked over to close the doors. Because of how late it was, she wasn’t all that worried of being walked in on, but at least if someone came upon the closed doors with the lights on behind them, they might knock first. Then she could quickly throw her nightgown back on – even if she was wet it would still at least cover her up.

Before returning to the pool, however, she stopped at the control panel for the lights. She didn’t want them glaring down at her, and she heard Coran mention they had different settings, though she personally had never fiddled with them. Sure enough, she found how to change not only their intensity but their color as well. Even the lights in the water became a dark burgundy. 

It made the whole room feel… almost luxurious. Even more than normal. It also made her more confident to strip off her clothes, which she did after walking back to the pool. 

She set her nightgown next to her, making sure to keep it within reach. Sitting on the edge again, she tied her hair into a bun, set her feet back in the warm water, and then the rest of her followed suit.  
Underwater, she heard only her own heartbeat. She felt only the gentle circulation of the water around her. She let her mind go blank until she started to feel the burn in her lungs that moved her upwards again.

Opening her eyes and inhaling again, she noticed how nice the room looked in the lush light. She had heard of Coran mentioning one other feature of the room, and hesitantly lifted herself out of the water to go find it. She’d heard Hunk mentioning something earlier that day that made her think of it, and the memory had surfaced again.

Allura scanned the walls for a panel that looked out of place, and she soon found what she was looking for: a single square was defined within a larger wall section. She tapped on it gently, and the square slid upwards to reveal several stacks of dark-colored disks and what looked like a metal plate to set them on. She held a few disks to her nose and observed the different, heady smells wafting from them. Incense, Hunk had called it. From how he described it, Earth’s version was similar but smaller, and often in cones or sticks instead. It seemed to serve the same purpose though, and she was excited to use it for the first time since waking up from her Cryo-sleep. 

She placed a dark red one on the plate and pressed it down until she heard a click. The sweet, musky scent of flowers wafted towards her, and she smiled softly. 

Stepping back into the water, she sighed in contentment. She’d never really utilized this room for pure leisure before, and she made a note to herself to definitely do so more often going forward.  
She let herself sink up to her lips. She leaned back against the pool walls, letting the water hold her up. Her mind drifted in the dim light and the sweetened air. She felt light, and let the water gently sway her. She felt her eyes closing out of relaxation, but still not tiredness. She felt the moments slipping by a little more gently…

A knock at the door.

“Anyone in there?”

Shiro. He must have been having trouble sleeping as well.

Allura froze for a moment, briefly contemplating staying quiet before realizing he would probably walk in regardless. 

Now scrambling to get out of the water, she called back, “J-just a moment!”

She hurriedly put her nightgown back on with a fair amount of difficulty, then walked to the door.

He smiled as he met her face framed by the deep lighting and incense. He then realized she was dripping wet.

“Oh! Princess! I’m sorry if I interrupted something!” he rushed to apologize. “I was just walking by and thought I smelled something, and then I saw the lights were…” he gestured to the room. “I guess I wanted to make sure everything was alright?” 

Allura noticed how he was unsure of what he was saying. He was probably just curious and didn’t want to admit it in case he did in fact interrupt something. 

“You’re quite alright, Shiro,” she smiled at him. “I couldn’t sleep, so I came here to relax a bit.” She took a step back, “you’re welcome to join me, if you’d like.”

His facial expression made it seem he was taken aback by her offer, but nonetheless he stepped forward. “Would you like me to close the doors again?”

“I would, thank you,” she answered kindly, walking back to the water, but stopping in her tracks upon realizing her situation.

“So did you fall in?” Shiro lightly teased from behind her. “You’re soaked.”

She sat down at the edge again and put her feet back in. “No, I just didn’t intend to go for a swim tonight. I may have shown up here empty-handed…” she laughed gently back as he sat down beside her and followed suit.

“So you went swimming in your nightgown? That doesn’t seem—”

She bit back a giggle as realization dawned on his face. He must’ve finally realized that her nightgown wasn’t quite wet enough to have been in the water itself.

“Well, uh…” he stuttered. “D-don’t let me stop you from enjoying your alone time,” and he started to stand back up with a bright red face.

Allura chuckled softly at him. “Shiro, if I minded you being here, I wouldn’t have invited you in.”

He blinked a moment. It occurred to Allura that she still hadn’t really spoken with him much outside of Voltron Things. He was probably surprised she was so comfortable around him, when really, aside from Pidge, Allura was probably the most comfortable around Shiro like this. If nothing else, it was nice to have quiet company on a night like this. 

Shiro sat back down. 

“I have to admit,” he said after a moment, “it’s kind of odd seeing you like this. Not in a bad way, but like if you see your coworker outside of work.” 

The easy tone in which he spoke eased her heart. She knew that he had been through so much, like her, and maybe that was why it didn’t feel weird being next to him like this.  
“I hope I don’t feel like a coworker to you,” Allura lightly nudged him, “people tend to not like their coworkers very much.”

He smiled back at her. “Well, coworkers also don’t tend to invite each other into their private bath.” 

She laughed at that. It felt good to laugh. Maybe it was the incense helping her head but she felt happier, more comfortable with him around. 

“Really, though,” he began again, rubbing the back of his neck, “if you want to go back in, I’ll leave you be.”

“I do want to, but I don’t think I want you to leave,” she replied. The honesty in her voice made him smile. He didn’t think he wanted to, either. 

A moment passed, neither of them moving until Allura broke the silence. “Nudity doesn’t always have to be something weird, right?” she asked him. “It can just be two adults existing with each other.”

Shiro thought for a moment, trying to think of whether or not it was a good idea, and settled mostly on ‘ _how bad can this possibly go_?’

“You’re right,” he said. “It’s only a big deal if we make it one.”

Another moment passed, but Allura stood up before too much tension was allowed to grow. She peeled the damp cloth off of her skin and saw that Shiro was staring down at the water. He seemed to be giving her privacy, even now. She smiled, ‘ _how kind of him_.’

She slipped back into the water next to him and sunk up to her neck again, leaning against the side once more.

She noticed him start to look nervous. A look of realization had dawned on his face.

“Are you going to join me?” she asked quietly. He had become apprehensive, and she didn’t want him to feel bad about… whatever it was he felt bad about. 

“I…” was all he said before looking up and away. His face was no redder than the lighting made it, so Allura knew he wasn’t embarrassed to see her…

“What’s wrong, Shiro?” she turned around to face him. He almost had a pained look on his face, and that began to worry her. 

“I have… a lot of scars. What the Galra did to me…” he looked at his metal hand resting beside him, “what they made me do wasn’t pretty. I’m basically a blighted hellscape,” he laughed bitterly, still not meeting her eyes.

“If you think that’ll make me see you as anything less than who I already know you to be, I promise you it won’t.”

Shiro finally landed his gaze on her. His sad smile was quickly replaced by awe as he saw what was always covered before – Allura’s skin was swirled in the same pink that marked her cheeks. Her spine was a stripe with whirling branches wrapping around her torso, arms and legs. It almost looked fake, like it was too pretty to be real.

“P-promise?” he asked almost breathlessly from the rush of seeing something new and beautiful.

“Of course,” she responded, placing a hand on one of his. 

He swallowed, nerves returning a bit as he stood back up. He stripped off his shirt and bottoms with similar but different hesitations. Allura averted her gaze as well, she would at least return what he showed her. 

He slipped into the water as well. He was still next to her, but she noticed he was significantly further from her than where he was sitting. Whether it was from the inevitable sense of ‘now what?’ that settled in with the incense or from self-consciousness, Allura wasn’t sure, but she could hopefully help with at least one of those. 

“You’re no monster, Shiro,” she said softly, taking a step towards him to see if he would move at all as well. He relaxed a bit, but otherwise stayed still.

She took another step. The water was only waist-deep, but she didn’t feel as exposed as she assumed she would. “Is this okay?” she asked.

He nodded. “Yes. This is good. Thank you,” but his words were tight, clipped. Allura could tell there was a storm raging in his mind.

“Can I get closer?” she knew what she had to do, but wanted to make sure he was alright with it.

“Please,” he choked out from a tight jaw.

She took a few longer strides and, seeing as he made no move to resist or flinch, she enveloped him in the biggest embrace she could manage in the moment.

Instantly, he deflated in her arms. She could feel him sobbing, but he made almost no sound.

Allura just held him tighter.

After a few minutes passed and his breathing evened back out, she cautiously released him. 

He looked at her through teary eyes. “Thank you,” he whispered.

She realized this was probably the first friendly contact he’d felt in a long time. 

“You’re beautiful, Shiro.” She slid her hands down his arms to take his in a comforting grip. “The fact that you don’t want to be what they tried to make you, proves that you’re not what you fear yourself to be.”

He laughed again, but there wasn’t as much bitterness this time. Allura felt some heaviness lift off her heart that she didn’t realize was there in the first place.

Another moment passed. It was a kinder silence.

“Will you sit next to me now?” Allura asked quietly.

“Of course, Princess,” Shiro answered warmly now, and she breathed a small sigh of relief as they returned to sit against the edge of the pool.

Once they settled into their respective spots, a more casual conversation was able to start.

“Were you having trouble sleeping as well?” she asked him.

“I hardly ever sleep through the night,” he admitted. “I figured I’d familiarize myself with this place a bit more since I had the time.”

“Never a bad idea, sorry I got in the way of that,” she smiled at him, and suddenly felt self-conscious herself as she saw his eyes were glued to the markings on her arms. 

He must have seen her tense up, because he reached for her hand again, gently bringing her arm to the surface. “I guess we both have marks of our past to carry with us,” he smiled back at her.

She wasn’t sure how to respond, exactly. Mostly because she was hit with the realization that she, too, was starved of physical contact. Coran was the only other person she’d hugged in… she wasn’t all that sure if the 10,000 years counted, since she never aged, but it sure felt like they did.

“I guess we do.”

Another beat of comfortable silence. And that beat turned into two, into three, into four…

“ _Allura?_ ”

The Princess opened her eyes to the same burgundy room, still mostly submerged in the pool. 

She blinked a couple times. “Shiro? What happened?”

He smiled at her. “You fell asleep, I didn’t want to have to save you,” and he playfully nudged her. “It’s only been a few minutes, I think, but I didn’t even notice.”

She looked down at herself through the water. “I’m sorry, I didn’t even realize I was tired,” she began to stand back up. “I suppose I should get back to my room then, sleep in a real bed.”

He began to rise as well. “I’ll go back to mine too, definitely don’t want to fall asleep in here by myself.”

He watched as she gracefully climbed to her feet outside of the water. He watched the pink stripes flex and bend as she moved. She really was beautiful.

Allura turned to lend him a hand to climb out. He gingerly accepted, and was surprised at not just how sturdy her grip was but her entire being as well. She was clearly much stronger than she looked – in more ways than one, he thought.

“Thank you for this, Shiro. I appreciate your company,” she said, gathering her still-damp nightgown and starting to put it on, before he gently stopped her struggling.

“My shirt will cover you enough, and it’s dry. You can give it back to me later,” he smiled softly. “If anyone sees me walking around without it, they’ll just think I was in the training room.” He handed her the soft black top.

She moved to put it on, before she stopped. “I think I should wait a bit to dry off, I don’t want to soak it.”

“Would you like me to wait with you?” he asked so genuinely that it almost took her aback. 

She looked at him, and her face softened even more. “I’d like that.”

They sat shoulder-to-shoulder, listening to the faint humming of the air and water filters, and feeling each other breathe. They each remembered the things that brought them here. Allura kept thinking back to Altea, Shiro to the Garrison, and everything along the way, but they found that nothing really bothered them at the moment.

“Don’t take this the wrong way,” Shiro began, breaking the silence, “but I don’t know why I’m so comfortable around you like this.” 

“I’m glad you feel the same,” Allura chuckled lightly. “I don’t really understand it, either.” She thought for a moment. “Something about baring ourselves completely?”

“Maybe something like that,” Shiro answered thoughtfully.

A few more heartbeats between them, just looking silently at the water, before Allura finally rose to her feet and slipped his shirt on. Sure enough, it hung just past her butt. It wasn’t ideal, but it was better than walking back to her bedroom in something damp. He put his pants back on as well.

Allura turned the lights off, resetting them to default in the process, and cleaned up the incense. She could feel the exhaustion setting in, the blissful and evasive elixir she’d been missing lately.  
Shiro waited by the doors for her to finish.

“This was lovely,” she said to him as they opened the doors together. “Really, thank you for joining me. Feel free to come back next time you can’t sleep, you’re wonderful company.”

“I’m glad to hear it, and thank you for… helping, I guess. I needed that more than I realized,” he lightly squeezed her hand, which she returned.

“You can come to me anytime, alright?” she responded as they stepped into the hallway, about to split into different routes back to their rooms. 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he returned as they began diverging. “Sleep well, Princess,” he smiled.

“And you as well, Shiro,” she said with a yawn which she heard him echo as they walked away.

Back in their beds, they found sleep coming fast. Both of them thought, just before succumbing to slumber, of how nice it was to have a friend again.


End file.
